Selection: Generally when an opening is available, the County Commission asks for suggestions from current board members and community partners.

Term Length: Board members serve 3-year-terms with a third of the board up for renewal or replacement annually.

Current members: Visit the FCCRB website to learn more about current board members (see Meet the Board section).

Meetings: The Board meets monthly. Information about upcoming meetings is available on the FCCRB website (see Meetings section)

Application Process and Funding

Applying for Funds: Funding availability is announced in the Missourian newspaper in the legal notifications and emailed out to several provider groups, including the Franklin County System of Care and the Franklin County Service Providers. Agencies proposing a new program are required to submit a concept paper, and if determined eligible, a full application for funding. For information on funding, please visit the FCCRB website (see Funding section)

Review Process: The Executive Director presents an initial recommendation of potential application to the Selection and Review Committee with notes about any concerns. Starting in 2016, only new programs or programs with a potential reduction in funding are invited to present their proposal. The Selection and Review Committee makes funding decisions based on the needs assessment, information collected from the school districts, and partnering agencies. The Selection and Review Committee, then, makes funding recommendations to the Board of Directors for approval.

Funding Period: All contracts are awarded for one calendar year and are eligible for renewal annually.

Working with Other Funds: The FCCRB works with the communities’ Department of Mental Health provider to leverage dollars through a Medicaid Match

The FCCRB conducts a community assessment and gap analysis every 5 years and monitors key program outcome indicators on an annual basis. Also, the Board of Directors and the Executive Director annually receive feedback from superintendents and school personnel about current programs and emerging needs. Before the Children’s Services Tax, there were very limited services available to the youth of Franklin County. Thanks to this fund, children and their families now have better access to core mental health services, and almost all school-aged children are benefiting from the prevention programs delivered through the schools. The following stories provide a glimpse on how the tax has improved the lives of children and families in Franklin County.

Inspiring Stories

Strong Systems of Care for Families Needing Services

From the very beginning, the Putting Kids First Children’s Services Fund, overseen by the FCCRB, has put an emphasis on developing community resources to build and sustain a comprehensive mental health system of care for children and families in Franklin County. These programs and services are dedicated to supporting youth and their families in the community in a manner that is individualized and best supports the family. With guidance from the FCCRB, the service providers of Franklin County have developed a strong System of Care that meets on a monthly basis in order to work on barriers to families receiving services. This dedicated group includes management from Children’s Division, the Juvenile Office, School Districts, and children’s services organizations that represent mental health, drug and alcohol addiction services, child welfare, developmental disabilities, etc. Over the course of the last nine years, this group has been able to rewrite the relationships that were once carved in stone and created collaborative partnerships. The Franklin County System of Care not only works to break down barriers but also with the family at the lead, staffs cases of youth, where parents and partner organizations are at a loss of what to do.

Franklin County Task Forces and Cross Trainings’ Coordinated Efforts

Another example of capacity building in the community, with the guidance of the FCCRB, is the establishment of various task forces to address targeted issues. The Franklin County Hunger Task Force coordinates food pantries and food distribution throughout the county to families in need. The Permanency Summit works with the child welfare agencies in order to find permanency for children placed in alternative or foster placements in a timely manner. The Homelessness Task Force brings resources to the county. Various cross-trainings have allowed for child-serving frontline staff from across the spectrum of services to receive the best practice information at the same time and place, such that everyone has a sound baseline understanding. These cross-trainings, typically conducted in institutes in the spring and fall, have become a way for staff from varying organizations to meet and break down communication and barriers to get fresh ideas on how to better serve families and youth in need.

Franklin County in a short time has gone from a community, where agencies worked independently, to one where there are coordinated efforts to put best practices in place in order to best serve the children, youth, and families of the community.